Button loop



-NOV.-17, 1931. J DQMKEE 1,831,804

BUTTON LOOP Filed Jan. 10, 1931 IIII'III JEJHN H. DEQMKEE Patented Nov. 17, 1931 UNITED STATES :PATENT "OFFICE JOHN H. DOMKEE, or WEST HAVE ooN no'rIou'r, AssroN'o'n Tor n: WIRE NOVELTY MANUFACTURING COMPANY, or wns'r HAVEN; CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION or CONNECTICUT BUTTON Lo'oP This invention relates tobutton loops and more especially to that class of button loops that are laterally expansible and are/thus ada ted for use in connection with buttons havlng shanks of varying diameters, and the objects of the invention are-to provide a but ton loop with resilient arms having overlapping extremities normally cooperating to provide a seat for the shank of'a button; and to provide such extremities with a connecting member adaptedto hold said extremities against movement out of the plane of the loop and to expose the seat, provided by said extremities, for direct engagement by the shank of a button. With these and other objects in view as may become apparent from the within disclosures, the invention consists not only of the particular form herein pointed out and illustrated in the drawings, but read ily admits of certain modifications within the scope of what hereinafter may be claimed. The character of the invention may be best understood by reference to one illustrative device embodying the invention and illustrated bythe accompanyingdrawings in which the Figure 1 is an upright elevation of the device illustrating a part cut away to expose an inner part; the Figure 2 is a side elevation of the device; the Figure 3 is a cross-section upon the dotted line 33 in the Figure 1, but of an entire section thereof; the Figure 4 is an upright elevation of the loop illustrating the arms spread apart to separately illustrate the extremities; and the Figure 5 is a perspective view of the sheetmetal connecting member before folding.

The device about to be described is an improvement of the device disclosed by the Patent Number 872,230 issued to Thomas S. Haley of West Haven, Connecticut. November 26, 1907, and later assigned to The Wire Novelty Manufacturing Company which is also the assignee of this application. In the patent to Haley the side members were each bent into a hook formation, the tips of the hooks being reversely inclined on their inner faces to overlie one another within the plane of the loop and together form an eye capable of retaining the shank of a button, which shank resting within both hooks mainto maintain the overlying portions of the loop for relative movement only in the plane of the loop and at the same time permits the shank of abutton to rest-directly upon a de- 5 pressed seatprovided by the overlapping portions of the loop structure.

While the loop structure may be made of any convenient material, it is preferably 'made,as illustrated, of wire, a middle portion;

of which 'is bent to provide the suspension loop 1 havingthe horizontal bar 2 around which a strap (not illustrated) may be looped, the side arms 3 and 1 cooperating to provide the axially associated loops '5 and 6 having'the intermediatecontracted throat portion 7providing a restricted but expansihle communication between the said loops 5-and 6. The extremities 8 and 9 of the arms 3 and 4, respectively, are each bent intolon gitudinal alignment, one with the other, and

each of said'extremities is provided beyond said aligned portions with a seat 10 to together accommodate the shanks of a button, as illustrated by the Figures 1 and 4. The innerfacesjof theextremities 8 and 9 at the seat formations lO-are then flattened in the plane of the loop, as for instance at 9A, and

are thus made to overlap substantially within the plane of the loop,.as best illustrated by the Figure 3, so that at normally at-rest positions the'seats 10 register, one with the other,

to together provide a depression for the repose of the shank S, the seats 10 and the throat portion 7 providing a three-point holding co'ntactywith an enclosed shank, as illustrated by the Figure 1, the shank thus held within said seats 10 preventing an unintentional lateralexpansion of the button loop.

The connecting member may also be made of wire. but as illustrated it is preferably made of sheet-metal stamped out therefrom to provide a member having the spaced clips 11 andthe spaced struts 11A connecting the clips andfixedly maintaining their spaced relation, as best illustrated by the Figure 5, the struts 11A being separated by the perforation 1113 through which, when the connecting member is folded and mounted upon 5 the loop structure, as about to be explained,

the seats may be reached for an engagement by the shank S within the loop 6 as illustrated by the Figures 1 and 3. The connecting member, being folded between the 10 dotted lines 11C and 11D so that the struts 11A are spaced one from the other in substantially parallel planes as illustrated by the Figure 2, is mounted upon the loop structure by a portion of the connecting member 15 being passed into the loop 6 so that the connecting member may be suspended by means of the. clips 11 from the aligned unflattenod portions of the extremities 8 and 9. The ends 11E of each of the clips 11 are then closed in loosely around the unflattened portion of an extremity 8 or 9 that the extremity portion may freely slide therein, the struts 11A engaging the lateral surfaces of the shank seats 10 and thereby maintaining the connecting member against rotary movement upon the extremities 8' and 9. The connecting member, being folded along the long diameter of the perforation'11B, provides anelongated opening exposing within the loop 6,

as illustrated by the Figure 2, the relatively registered seats 10 of the extremities 8 and 9 for engagement bythe shank S. i

In use, the button loop is placed over a button so that the button may be received within the upper and larger of the associated loops 5 and 6. The button loop is then pulled Y upwardly to urge the shank S through the contracted throat portion 7 and into the lower and smaller of the associated loops 5 and 6. To permit the shank S to pass through the throat portion 7, the throat portion 7. and hence the arms 3 and 4, must laterally expand. As this expansion takes place the extremities 8 and 9 relatively slide outwardly within the spaced clips 11, the

depressed seats 10 moving out of relative registration and serving as stops for engagement with the clips 11 to limit the outward movement of the extremities and hence the lateral expansion of the side-arms 3 and 4.

In passing into the loop 6, the shank S, by a further upward pull or strain upon the button loop, is forced to seek the seats 10 of the extremities 8 and 9 and if, by reason of lack of resiliency of the side arms 3 and 4, the

condition.

I claim 2 1. A button loop having an intermediate and expansible throat portion, lower portions of the loop structure being arranged in substantially alignment, one with the other the structure extremities beyond said aligned portions being formed and overlapped to together normally provide a depressed seat for the shank of a button; and a connecting member comprising spaced clips joined to gether by a connecting member and each loosely mounted upon an aligned portion slidable therein, the sliding movement being limited only by a depressed portion in engagement with a clip.

2. A button loop comprising a suspension loop having arms depending therefrom and forming axially associated loops with an intermediate contracted throat portion, the arms being bent to provide portions in align ment one with the other, and the arms extremities beyond said aligned portions being formed and overlapped to together normally provide a depressedseat for the shank of a button; and a connecting member comprising spaced clips loosely mounted upon the aligned portions of the arms and maintained in such spaced relation, one with the other, by struts integral therewith and exposing within the loop the said depressed seat for engagement by the shank of a button.

JOHN H. DOMKEE. 

